1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a coaxial plug-and-socket connector for radio frequencies (RF), comprising a socket part and a plug part and further comprising a precision centering means of the socket part and the plug part.
2. Description of Relevant Art
RF connectors as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,188, having a frontal contact of the outer conductors, require a significant minimum pressure between the plug part and the socket part to obtain a low intermodulation connection. This necessitates a comparatively massive connector housing and high locking forces.
The US Patent Application Publication 2011/0130048 A1 discloses a RF connector without a frontal contact of the outer conductors. Instead, an axial mechanical stop outside the outer conductor signal path is provided. This allows for lower locking forces. The drawback is that the outer conductor current path varies with mechanical tolerances and the relative position between the plug part and the socket part. Accordingly, the return loss of the connector is degraded at higher frequencies.
This is further improved by U.S. Pat. No. 7,294,023 B2. A circular contact element is inserted into the socket housing providing a plurality of contact points. This allows for a high-quality broadband connection. The disadvantages of this design are its complexity and the associated costs.
The German utility model DE 1813161 U discloses a radio frequency plug connector, where the outer conductor contacts at its front end the socket connector. This allows for compensation of mechanical deviations. The contact springs make an outer conductor contact, even if the plug connector is located off axis relative to the socket connector. This is no precision centering.
The US patent application publication US 2008/0254668 A1 discloses a further connector, where the axial distance between plug and socket connector is defined by the outer conductor of the plug connector, contacting a surface at a reference plane within the socket connector. Furthermore, centering is not provided, as the plug connector has spring elements at the outer conductor to compensate for centering deviations.
The European patent application publication EP 0 080 845 discloses a further coaxial connector, where the axial relationship between the plug connector and the socket connector can vary due to the elasticity of a spring inserted there between.
In the international patent publication WO 2010/113536 A1, a coaxial connector for printed circuit boards is disclosed. This connector does not have an axial stop. Instead, they are notches at the outer conductor of the plug connector, which fit into grooves of the socket connector. This does not result in a well-defined axial positioning. Instead, the connector is designed in such a way to tolerate displacement in an axial direction. Furthermore, there is no centering means. Instead, the outer conductor is flexible and may compensate for variations.